Post on 28-Dec-2015
transcript
UK Government timber procurement policy
Marigold Norman Department for Environment, Food, and Rural
Affairs
National Sustainable Procurement Stakeholder Group22 May 2008
The UK timber procurement policy
• Since 2000, central government departments must seek to buy timber from sustainable and legal sources.
• Legal timber is a condition of contract.
• From 2009, policy will change to sustainable timber only, or timber licensed under the EU FLEGT initiative.
Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET)
• Established in 2005 to provide free advice to public sector and suppliers.
• Assessments of schemes and other evidence against government definitions of legality & sustainability.
• Workshops, promotion, monitoring and guidance.
• Reference Board includes trade and ENGOs.
Legality and sustainability – definitions
• Legality refers to compliance with relevant laws in the country of origin of the timber.
• Sustainability encompasses most elements of international definitions of sustainable forest management.
• Suppliers can use certified timber or other credible means of ensuring legality & sustainability.
Impacts and influence of the policy
• 60% of timber imports into UK are certified – significant increase since policy adopted.
• Other national governments have followed suit in developing timber procurement policies.
• Raising the standards of SFM (through certification schemes)
• Timber Trade Federation: ‘policy is a significant driver for removing illegal timber from the supply chain’.
Work with local authorities on timber procurement
• Defra working to encourage local authority development and implementation of a timber procurement policy.
• Defra working with the Timber Trade Federation and the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) on a joint strategy aimed at offering the maximum support to local authorities.
• Meeting on 25th June with around10 London LAs and industry/NGO representatives to discuss a London forum to share information and best practice.
What next?
• London forum and promotion of the CPET services to local authorities. Important to stress the link between timber and the Local Government Sustainable Procurement Strategy.
• EU considering mandatory green public procurement policies – this would mean that all 27 Member States have to purchase legal timber.
• EU considering legislation to tackle illegal logging.